Galpin Auto Sports Teams Up With Ken Block For Cossie World Tour

“If you can dream it, we can build it.” That is the motto of Galpin Auto Sports (GAS). For over seventy years, Galpin Auto Sports has been one of the top custom automotive shops here in Southern California earning worldwide recognition and attention.

Many professional drivers and world-class athletes alike have enlisted the expertise of GAS to help design the perfect vehicle to fit their unique style. And for many Blue Oval enthusiasts, getting the opportunity to order a new Ford vehicle from the Galpin dealership here on the West Coast brings with it a unique story all its own.

These new Ford transit vans are quick. They have 310 horsepower and 400 foot-pounds of torque. - Ken Block

So when it came time for the Hoonigan himself, Mr. Ken Block, to find a custom dealership to build a set of chase vehicles that would withstand the abuse of his recently announced Cossie World Tour for 2019, the professional rallycross driver teamed up with Galpin Auto Sports to take on this monumental task.

Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, World Rallycross teams have used service vans as support vehicles in their quest for the Championship.

These vehicles not only needed to carry the team’s spare parts and equipment during a rallycross event but also would need to perform as expected to the everchanging terrain situations they may face throughout the race.

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Many of these support vehicles were outfitted with matching team liveries which were often considered badges of honor should the team find themselves at the top of the podium after these grueling multi-stage events.

The Galpin Auto Sports Ford Transit Vans pay homage to the pioneers of the sport as they accompany Ken Block’s 1994 Ford Escort RS Cosworth tour across the globe.

On the inside of the transit vehicles, we installed a fully customized workbench for the team to effectively perform repairs during an event. - Mad Mike, Galpin Auto Sports

These modern-day Ford transit vans, which are also outfitted in matching Hoonigan Racing Team liveries, can be seen giving much-needed support to the team throughout World Tour. They will even be making an appearance at one the worlds greatest celebrations of motorsports and car culture, the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the United Kindom.

We caught up with Galpin Auto Sports Customizing Supervisor Mad Mike at this weekend’s Fabulous Ford’s Forever event in Anaheim, California, to find out exactly what type of upgrades the team at GAS installed on the Ford transit vans to ensure the vehicles would be ready for a multi-stage event like the Cossie World Tour.

“On the inside of the transit vehicles, we installed a fully customized workbench for the team to effectively perform repairs during an event,” replied Mad Mike. “Because many of the stages will be held in Europe, we outfitted the vehicles with both 110 and 220 outlets. There is a two-level wraparound counter with LED lighting for the team. We also designed a wall at the midpoint of the van which the team used for there parts bins for easy accessibility. And finally, in the back of the vehicle, we designed a custom lift that the team can quickly use to grab the new and used tires off of the truck.”

Mad Mike also pointed out that the team at GAS built a ruggedized coffee and tea maker to keep the team focused and alert on those longer stages of the Cossie World Tour!

For the external mods, the team at Galpin Auto Sports installed a fully customized roof rack, external light bars, LED lighting, and even installed a custom ladder so the team can quickly and safely retrieve any extra gear that is being stowed on the roof of the vehicle.

“We wanted to run an older WRC car like the Ford Escort RS Cosworth and modernize it for the way that we run nowadays and bring back these service vans that have the essence of the ’90s but done with these new modern Ford transits,” replied Ken Block. “These new Ford transit vans are quick. They have 310 horsepower and 400 foot-pounds of torque. They are four by four and just like my Hoonicorn and Hoonitruck, it comes with two turbos.”

You can catch Ken Block, and the Galpin Auto Sports equipped Ford transit vans in action at the Rally Whangarei in New Zealand on May 3rd-5th, 2019. The team will then travel to rally races in Ireland, Poland, Italy, Switzerland, and a couple more that have yet to be announced to round out 2019.